The 100 Most Underappreciated Albums of the 2010s: 100-75
One of my favorite things in music, and I suspect many others, is discovering a hidden gem. In the analog days, this was often done at the record store, but throughout my lifetime, our inundation with the internet has caused an explosion of underrated and overlooked records just waiting to be unearthed. That’s the case for a lot of these releases — but many are also beloved yet criminally undervalued, and as such, I will be making the case for their further appreciation and subsequent veneration. This list is titled as the singular 100, but it’s a personal criterion, and I have no doubt I’m missing dozens upon dozens of great albums whose fanbases are unfairly small. I might be stretching the reasoning for some of these, but in making this list I hope to convince y’all of their merits (with the help of some friends), and hopefully make you want to listen to all of them!
100. Black Tusk: Set the Dial
Reliably good stoner metal, in the vein of Red Fang mixed with Queens of the Stone Age. Not too flashy, but has some riffs that knock, and can you really argue with that?
99. Shad - TSOL
Super positive Canadian rap. Corny but endearing and Shad can really rap, never being preachy or self-indulgent. He’s also the host of Hip-Hop Evolution on Netflix, which I highly recommend for anyone interested in rap history.
98. Ladatel - Recuerdo Futuro
Vaporwave is typically associated with Japanese aesthetics, but Ladatel turns that on its head with Recuerdo Futuro. The crackly Spanish recordings add a layer of intrigue unforeseen within the genre, and the production is suitably malleable, furnishing an experience that is both bizarre and utterly entrancing.
97. DJ Purple Image - We All In The Matrix
The most faithful interpretation of DJ Screw we received over the past decade.
96. Information Flash - Ego Murda Sound
Dusty grimy shit by way of Toulouse.
95. Monster Rally - Return to Paradise
Irresistible loops. Beats that perfectly encapsulate vacation, the idea of a vacation, tourist traps, and everything in-between.
94. Local News - Channel 8
A manifestation of waking up at 3 am with the public access station on. Very representative of a certain sect of vaporwave, simple but effective.
93. Mikael Seifu — Zelalem
Mystical electronic wizardry straight out of the heart of Ethiopia, fusing the old with the new seldom have the capacity to do.
92. Don Trip & Starlito - Step Brothers
One of the sad things about hip-hop that is tacitly accepted is how much great shit goes unrecognized and under the radar. Even with mainstream approval from multiple outlets, I haven’t heard Step Brothers acknowledged since around its decade-old release date, and that’s a damn shame. The whole list could be forgotten DatPiff releases, so consider this a recognition of a moment in time.
91. Dananananaykroyd - There Is A Way
Without much fanfare, Dananananaykroyd released a very good power-pop album in the traditional British rock vein supported nationally by NME and Mojo. Terminally passe in 2021, but fuck it, fun music never goes out of style.
90. DJ Slyngshot - Cycles
Acoustic house that is suitably funky and has some primo drumming. Feels like you’re in an Antwerp subway but you can’t read Dutch.
89. Pop Winds - Earth to Friend
It is very easy to call this a Merriweather Post Pavilion regen, but to have qualms with that you’d have to vehemently dislike Animal Collective, and that’s definitely not me. Earth to Friend will be a footnote in alt culture history because one of its creators went on to found Majical Cloudz, another buzzband of the 2010s. Nonetheless, it’s a solid psych-pop record with infectious tendencies.
88. L.O.T.I.O.N. Multinational Corporation - World Wide W.E.B. LP
Futuristic nastiness. Drenched in cybernetic sludge and punked out by way of Atari Teenage Riot and Skinny Puppy. The resistance to Jeff Bezos’ dystopian society.
87. Dos Monos - Dos City
Unlike so much in hip-hop. It’s a kaleidoscope, sprawling and unafraid to be wacky. Really fun to experience on first listen and take in all the tactile sensations.
86. ILLFIGHTYOU - ILLFIGHTYOU
Insanely chaotic rap from the Pacific Northwest. Originally heard of this from Tumblr which makes sense considering how confrontational and unhinged this tape is. This group would absolutely rake in this era, shame they were too ahead of their time.
85. By Coastal Cafe - Yvette
Musical vignettes, distinctly European. Twee, of course, but who hasn’t wanted to star in their own Eric Rohmer movie? Cheating because this is a retro compilation from 1996 to 2000; sometimes you gotta wait till a good thing is imported, y’know?
84. James Pants: Beats Archive Pt. 1 - 2001–2007
Leave it to a Stones Throw guy to make an immaculate Adult Swim bumper tape. (404’d on Stones Throw’s website DM me if you want a copy)
83. 700 Bliss - Spa 700
An album with copious bad bitch energy. DJ Haram’s production buoys one of the most distinctive voices of the new age in Moor Mother. It’s simultaneously arresting and levitous, exhibiting the range of these two superlative figures. While writing, “Ring the Alarm” made me do the stankiest face.
82. Toro y Moi - What For?
Chaz Bear’s been making some big moves recently, which makes this album’s relatively normalcy all the stranger. It’s fairly boilerplate indie rock, far from his experimental doings nowadays, but true to form, his songwriting is strong enough to carry it from average to enjoyable and catchy. Even in his most vanilla state, Toro y Moi stays winning.
81. Eugene the Oceanographer - The Tigers of Mount Paektu
A dude from Manchester becomes invested in the DPRK and the glories of North Korea in contrast to how much propaganda has been flung its way, and creates Korean choral pop to counteract the Western hatred of the Juche state. A more innocent version of Muslimgauze, at least in terms of the content at-hand. Super touching to see an artist show support for a country in this manner, and probably the most thematically interesting inclusion on this list.
80. No Age - Snares Like a Haircut
Punk bands get easily discarded if they become old due to the necessary vitality of the genre, yet No Age produced one of their finest works in their so-called twilight years. It’s very unfair that the SoCal band has never received their flowers, they were one of the best punk bands of their era, with nary an act being able to replicate their style.
79. Midnight Television - Midnight Television
Late-night cable jingles getting stuck in your brain. The perfect synthesis of pop culture’s iron grip on your psyche, coupled with the neuroses provided by media bombardment coming from every angle in the late half of the 20th century.
78. 2Chainz - B.O.A.T.S. II #METIME
Honestly, I admire 2Chainz’s pivot toward a lucrative television career. He really didn’t get enough appreciation during his airtight run in the early 2010s, someone who was seen as a court jester in his prime yet commanded respect through a mix of uproarious punchlines and supernaturally smooth bars. His second album is the epitome of what he was about, showing how he was destined for greener pastures, in more ways than one.
77. 3nd - We Dance x Avec Toi
While toé have long been the Japanese mainstay in terms of emo-adjacent math rock, 3nd deserve to be at the head of the table. Their commitment to absolutely killer riffs cannot be understated, and We Dance x Avec Toi makes sure that every song slays both melodically and rhythmically. Bands that play tight will always get their props.
76. Eyeliner - Buy Now
Despite its vaporwave connotation, Buy Now is a collection of wonky video game music, separate from the nostalgia-engaged lane it has been associated with. Of course, the microgenre is indebted to SNES and N64 soundchips, but this album gives itself a rigor that goes past tribute into full-on ingenuity.
75. SpaceGhostPurrp - Blvcklvnd Rvdix 66.6
In another universe, SpaceGhostPurrp reigns supreme among the Billboard charts and Travis Scott is making unhinged Twitter posts. Alas, we live in this universe, but at least Purrp got to release a tape that is worthy of his boundless creative gifts. He’s never received the credit his influence sorely deserves, and many of today’s rappers need to pay their dues.
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